I had the burnt end sandwich, not a lot of flavor but my sides, Mac n cheese & fries were great…read more My family members enjoyed their ribs & said they were tender & flavorful. The service was amazing, we had a very kind server. I would consider going back.

Well, first of all if you do come here , stick to bbq. I've been here several times over the years…read moreand had previously enjoyed their ribs. The restaurant has a hillbilly vibe and specializes in what can best be described as Ozark-style Bbq. Like many places in Missouri and Arkansas, bbq and catfish are often featured in the same restaurant and both are often delicious . Not here, I made the mistake of ordering the Friday catfish special and it was one of the sorriest catfish dinners I've ever had. The fish was rubbery and very salty and appeared to be a foreign import. Terrible! The saving grace here was the pleasant service from the saucy young lady who attended me and a nice menu of beers and desserts, many of which sell out early.

Great restaurant! Waitress was nice and the catfish sandwich and fries were good. Great iced tea!read more

Good BBQ sandwich. The worst catfish I've ever had…read more The fired pickles were overly battered and fried. Onion rings were good. Service was good.

Great food and service! Always try to get something different each time we go and their "magic dust…read more" is amazing on everything that they have! And fresh pork rinds are incredible!

Terrible experience!…read more I expected better. After all, this place has won the BBQ World Championship three times. But I was totally disappointed by my experience there. The waitress took my drink order, poured me a glass of iced tea, and then went off to handle another table, leaving my tea on the counter on an 83 degree day. By the time she returned to pick it up and bring it to me the ice was semi melted and the tea was warm. Just what you want to drink on a warm day. I ordered the 2 meat combo of pulled pork and sliced brisket. When I took a bite from both, it tasted like yesterday's leftovers. It was dry, flavorless and simply blah. I couldn't even finish it. The sides were nothing to brag about either. But what really disturbed me was the attitude and behavior of the restaurant staff. When I told the waitress that I was really disappointed with the meal, she became angry, defensive, and accusative. At my request she took the food away (there was still 2/3 of it left), took it to the back, and dumped it in the trash. No apology, no attempt to resolve the problem. Then she brings me the check like she expects me to pay for food I sent back. Not a chance! I told her bluntly I was not paying for it. Another staff person came by and told me that I had told the waitress that "it was good." If I thought it was good, why did I send it back? If it was just a case of I was full or lost my appetite, I would have asked for a box to go. No, it was bad enough that I didn't want to eat it, period. Again, no apology, no attempt to resolve the problem. I got up and walked out. I then attempted to express my concerns at the office next door, but then another person (whom I suspect was the owner of the restaurant and the daughter of the original pit master, Mike Mills) came up to me and angrily told me that she was aware of my complaint and asked me to "get in my car and leave." I complied. Needless to say, I will not be back. If poor quality food and poor quality customer service is what one ends up with, then I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant to anyone. Shame on you, 17th Street BBQ! I am willing to bet Mike is rolling in his grave!

Kind of drive out in the country on a narrow two lane road where you wonder if you should keep…read moregoing or turn around. No cell service for the last 2 miles of the drive but almost impossible to miss it. Miss going and you will miss fantastic BBQ. Loved the ambiance. Service was welcoming/excellent. The ribs and sliced brisket are some of the best I have ever had. Five+ stars. Amazingly delicious! And very reasonably priced. Half rib platter for $17.25; about 8 ribs with a roll and 2 sides. Two meat combo for $19.50 with 2 sides. Big portions! They were ok but not a huge fan of the mustard based red potato salad or coleslaw. The "smothered chicken" (pulled chicken breast tossed in BBQ sauce) gets great reviews but wasn't my favorite. Go for the ribs or brisket!

Interior is fun, clean, well done. Service was prompt and friendly…read more We got the 2 meat combo with ribs and sausage. The meats were good, though nothing to really write home about. Nice smoked flavor with the ribs, which were done dry. The meat did not fall off the bone though, the way I typically like my ribs. Added BBQ sauce, which was on the table. Sausage is kielbasa style. No complaints but also not spectacular. The best part might have been the bun, which tasted like it was fried in butter. Yum! We also got the following sides: Mac n cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans. They tasted fine, but like they were bought from a store. But it's a fun place and great place to take kids. Pretty lake out back and really nice garden setup outside.

Great pulled pork sandwich!!!!!!!!…read more Traveling through, saw they had were highly rated so we dropped in for lunch. We made a great choice!! The people working here were super nice and helpful! We did not have time to sit down and get some of the ribs that were on special BUT the ribs smelled delicious and looked perfect! We got 2 sandwiches to go and were very happy. If we lived anywhere close to this place we would regularly eat here!!! Great sandwiches!!! You will be happy you did.

Stopped in for nachos the other day, hadn't had them in years. They used to be one of my favorite…read morethings. Guess they have changed how they make them, like forgetting to put much meat on there. If you are wanting lots of beans, some cheese and bbq sauce and chips then these are the nachos for you!! What a huge disappointment!!! I'm hoping the sandwiches haven't changed also but won't order the nachos again.

Food was amazing, I love old people, not saying the restaurant was just meant for old people but at…read morethe time we were in there, that was who all was in there, I overheard some good stories, also to mention, the seating was a little weird but wasn't bad by any means, the lady who served us was really open about some of the stores flaws, I got the double bacon cheeseburger and it came out in under 15 minutes from the oven.

Saturday morning and they were packed with more people coming in. We have eaten there before and it…read morewas always good. This time the menu was much smaller with less choices making you think they could handle more people. Long story short we ordered but it took us over 30 minutes to get our breakfast and it was cold. Not really worth eating. Hope it wasn't just the crowd. And as always the waitresses were very nice and working hard as usual.

Made it a point to visit their booth at the Farmington Blues, Brews, and BBQ. We loved their sauce…read morepurchased at the store and wanted to try their food. I ordered the half rack of ribs with my friends and tried all the sauces. They were so kind to divide the ribs into two portions and provided extra chips as well. They were so nice and pleasant I could not ask for more. The ribs were so juicy and all the sauces paired amazingly. I cannot wait to visit their restaurant after this experience. Amazing people and I could not be happier we stopped by.

The food is good, the service is ok, sometimes miscommunication between the servers and kitchen, if…read moreyou want a semi quiet experience this is not the place to eat, screaming babies, and kids running a muck and parents not disciplining and servers that don't control the dining room. I do recommend this place, but if it is busy you will not here yourself think.

My husband and I tried the Taco About a Pizza. Wow, this is one of the best taco pizzas we've had…read more The refried beans sauce is genius. I wish it was served with some queso to dip the crust. The wings were also delicious. We got a 12 piece with two sauces: Nashville hot and hot honey. Blue cheese sauce seems house made with real blue cheese! Next time we want to try the Burn your Face off wing sauce. The restaurant was clean and bright. Only gripe would be the ladies room had half the lights working and was a bit dark. The staff was friendly. Wait staff were quick to refill drinks and checked in on needs. Food was hot, flavorful, and a range of options. Our apps and pizza arrived quickly even though the place was fairly crowded. We are already planning our next trip because we want to try more.

Half of my party are new to the area and we saw really good reviews for this place, so decided to…read moretry it. The staff were very nice, we sat outside to eat and enjoy the view. The food was good, I had the cheesesteak, but all I got on the sandwich was the meat, a very small amount of cheese and no mushrooms. The fries it came with were really good, crispy with a good taste. The sweet tea was very good! If we go again, I'll try a chicken dish, hopefully it will be better!

Popped in for Thurs lunch favoring Pat's with fewer but better ratings and less expensive option in…read moreMurphysboro. First time...so went withh the sampler at $18 and most of their meats are included except the pork steak (makes sense to me since that's usually a separate feature in these parts along with Kentucky). It was three of us and we were given the heads up that the sampler can feed two. Figured we could start with that and order more. The order was a very generous helping of two large rib tips, two pork rib bones, two wing pieces, and pulled chicken, pork, and chopped brisket. Our choice of two sides were slaw and mac & cheese. Three buns were thrown in given the three of us in the party (thanks for the flex). Local bottled Big Muddy root beer is the same $1.50 as the can sodas in the case and it is made with honey and cane sugar. Of the things I tried, I thought the rib tips were excellent - smoked pink and moist - got a meaty piece with only a small piece of cartilage. The chopped brisket isn't my thing - I prefer sliced. My daughter said the ribs were great (figured would be as good as the tips). The wings I believe were smoked too rather than grilled and the taste from the rub/marinade wasn't something I was familiar with. Tender and not dry. Pulled pork and chicken were solid. We still had leftovers - so I'll get my chance to try the ribs and focus on the flavor of the wing. Will have to get the pork steak next time and order plates next time focusing on our faves. Roomy dining area with some tables near the windows. It was getting warm out there so having plenty of indoor seating on a quieter Thursday lunch was welcome over overflow seating outside at the covered picnic tables.

I live in the Midwest, in a small city. Our BBQ places are easy to find: look for a big, shouty…read moresign; the owner's $120,000 extended F250 taking up a space right in front of the door; and an ambiance that includes corrugated steel walls, self-consciously Texas-y lamps over closely huddled booths, and servers all wearing the same hat and shirt. Oh - and the food is usually fine, except no fried okra. Pat's is not in a city. It's outside a small southern Illinois town. Pretty far outside, in fact, which is where true BBQ is supposed to be located. The parking lot is gravel. The only pickups there belong to customers, and their worth is more in the range of $12,000, except to their owners, who use them as trucks. And the sign is a sign. It tells you where you are. Oh, wait - there are BBQ competition trophies in the entryway. Stand and marvel. There are more inside. Marvel more. Because other than these and some pics of family and locals and celebrities I didn't recognize on the walls, that's about it for decoration. Stare at the menu, menu board and signs. Pay attention to the happy person behind the counter when she tells you what they're out of, because the best BBQ places are out of something you want. Note the teasing banter between local customers and the kitchen staff, because everyone knows someone back there. And order. We got the pulled pork plate. My sister got potato salad and green beans. I got the fries. I got the local(?) root beer. They don't do fried okra, but this IS the Midwest. It all came to our table in a reasonable amount of time. The BBQ sauce came in a cup on the side. Ketchup was brought to us. So why only four stars? Everything was perfect, right? And prizewinning? Yeah, but BBQ is personal. Everyone has an opinion. I lived in northern Alabama, which styles itself as BBQ Country. As does Texas and Kansas City and Memphis and everywhere. Pat's, much beloved by regulars for its mild smokiness, juicy juicy soft texture and other features, seemed a bit too mild and even soggy to me. I know - I have no taste. And it was good. Just not five stars great. And not enough sauce in the container, though I could have gotten up to ask for more. And the potato salad was fine and the fries a little too starchy, but only a little. That said, the beans were the wonderful dark green juicy soft salty ones that are too ... wonderful. Get those. The root beer, brewed with honey, y'all, was the best ever. Get that, too. The dessert was what they were out of, dang it! Overall the experience was just great. Someplace to go back to. And you should go there.